Savour that Australia

Marketing experts have told Savour Australia if wineries don’t have wi-fi they have a problem.

As the proud media partner of the event, Grapegrower & Winemaker will be at Savour Australia every day providing news online and in its October edition.

Kristen Boschma from The Social Hatch told delegates wineries need to be aware of the power of their cellar door and/or restaurant customers immediately sharing their experiences via tweets, Facebook and Instagram.

She told the Adelaide Advertiser marketers should not delude themselves that people are going online to engage with brands.

Boschma told the paper research she has conducted showed out of 37 reasons for engaging with social media brand came in at a disastrous 32nd.

Panellists at Savour agreed wine purchasing and knowledge remains “intimidating” for some people and many others still rely on suggestions from friends for their wine purchases.

Wine Business International Magazine’s Robert Joseph was even more direct in his assessment.

“People who use social media to make sales are like people going to bars to get laid,” he told Savour.

“You probably aren’t going to have a good experience,” he says.

“In both cases starting a relationship is what it’s all about.”

A strong advocate of QR codes on wine bottles Joseph said you still need to give consumers a reason to use the code and find out more about the story of the wine.

He said there is a role for wine writers and educators online to act as “the first friend” whose knowledge could be accessed through online networks.

Washington Post wine columnist David McIntyre says wineries need to understand social media is about engaging in a conversation, or relationship, with customers, not just broadcasting their message as they have done in the past.

“Social media is social, it’s about communicating, not just putting a link out there and hoping someone will click on it.”